The Hollywood Reporter was honored with 14 awards, including best entertainment and best website, at the seventh annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, held Sunday night at the Millennium Biltmore in downtown Los Angeles.
In addition, THR Esq., from senior editor Eriq Gardner, was named best entertainment blog.
Also among THR's 14 wins were two for senior writer Gary Baum, whose feature "No Animals Were Harmed" was named best news story in the print (newspaper or magazines) category and best investigative category (any media platform).
In the best obituary category (any media platform), senior editor Mike Barnes, THR-com deputy news director Erik Hayden, THR-com staff editor Hilary Lewis and Debbie Emery won for "Philip Seymour Hoffman Dead at 46."
Freelance writer Scott Johnson won best feature (celebrity) over 1,000 words for "The Final Days of an Oscar Winner," about Searching for Sugar Man director Malik Bendjelloul. The latter story also earned Janice Min, co-president and chief creative officer of Guggenheim Media's Entertainment Group, an award for best headline: "Oscar to Suicide in One Year."
Senior editor Alex Ben Block won for best feature under 1,000 words category for "A Filmmaker's Prison Nightmare Over Tax Credits."
Meanwhile, chief TV critic Tim Goodman was cited as best print columnist.
Senior TV writer Lesley Goldberg won the award for best news, online (general) for "Sandra Oh to Exit 'Grey's Anatomy' (Exclusive)."
In the photography categories, THR scored a win for "Ricky Gervais" for photographer Austin Hargrave, creative director Shanti Marlar and photo and video director Jennifer Laski.
THR also won best documentary or special program (feature): video producer Stephanie Fischette, executive editor, features Stephen Galloway, executive editor Matthew Belloni, director Raphael Laski and Jennifer Laski for "Oscar Actress Roundtable 2013."
For best multimedia package, THR scored another win "The Descendants of Solomon Northup" for senior reporter Rebecca Sun, photographer Wesley Mann, Laski, Marlar and photo editor Michelle Stark.
Also at the event, Nancy O'Dell received the L.A. Press Cub's Luminary Award, while Quincy Jones was presented with the Visionary Award.
Hollywood Reporter Wins Best Publication, Website at National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards
California's Pala Indians have launched their Internet gambling site in New Jersey following a test period last week, becoming the first tribe to do so in the state.
The Pala Band of Mission Indians received permission over the weekend from New Jersey gambling regulators for a full launch of their PalaCasino.com site in a partnership with Atlantic City's Borgata.
The tribe runs the Pala Casino and Spa in San Diego County, California.
The Pala will use one of the Borgata's online gambling licenses. Like other New Jersey Internet gambling providers, it can only take bets from customers within New Jersey's borders.
It plans to launch an online poker site in the first quarter of 2015.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has reportedly shut down its computer network following a hack.
The hack is believed to be the work of Guardians of Peace, as screens showed a skull and the words "#GOP".
The hackers that threatened to release data "secrets" if undisclosed demands were not met.
An image, believed to be from a Sony computer screen was leaked on Reddit. The screen said "Warning: We've already warned you, and this is just the beginning… We have obtained all your internal data including secrets and top secrets".
Sony has advised employees that resolving the situation could take anywhere from one day to three weeks.
There is a lot of controversy these days about online gaming, with Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson proposing a bill that would ban online gambling. While some see his position as one of pragmatism to protect his brick and mortar casinos than an issue with the ethics of online gaming in particular, Team Poker Stars Pro champion, Vicky Coren-Mitchell, is departing the Team over Pokerstars move into online gambling, as reported by poker news.
Her statements imply that part of the reason may be ethics and part respect for the game of “real” poker. Coren, the only player ever to win two European Poker Tour titles announced her departure on her blog.
While she understands “business is business” with Pokerstars and she is not “anti-casino,” she added, “my gut tells me the right thing to do is to walk away.”
While she acknowledges the dangers of gambling addiction, she adds that real poker is a fair game, “I’m always careful to explain the difference between the essentially fair nature of poker, where we all take each other with the same basic chance, and those casino games at unfavorable odds which can be (especially online) so dangerous for the vulnerable and the desperate.”
Just after the news of B.A.P filing a lawsuit to nullify their contract, TS Entertainment has released their official response to this shocking news.
The agency wrote,
"Hello, this is TS Entertainment.
We are here to deliver our official position regarding B.A.P's contract nullification lawsuit that has been reported this afternoon.
All this while, TS Entertainment has tried our best to support the various activities of our artist B.A.P and strived to meet our mutual goals. And like we revealed back on October 28, all their schedules had been cancelled to give them rest as we had made the protection of our artist our priority out of mutual consideration and trust.
And while in the midst of in talks about their future activities, we learned of the sudden lawsuit through news articles.
Currently TS Entertainment is in the process of trying to figure out the details and the truth of the matter. However, we wanted to make clear that there is no such thing as a 'slave contract' or 'unfair contract conditions' in our contracts, and we have never given them unfair, one-sided treatment.
We will take steps to confirm the matter regarding this lawsuit, and respond in an official manner.
We once again convey our sorry hearts for causing concern to all who love TS Entertainment and its artists.
Thank you."
Stay tuned for any other updates that may come on this developing situation.
Earlier this year David Baazov walked into the Manhattan offices of the Blackstone Group, the world’s biggest private equity firm, with an outrageous offer. At 33 Baazov was the little-known chief of Amaya, an obscure Montreal company with a loose handful of assets in the gambling industry. But he had big plans. With the backing of Blackstone’s credit division he wanted to stage the $4.9 billion purchase of PokerStars, the world’s biggest online poker company. Operating like he held all the cards, Baazov proposed what would seem to be a crackpot scheme. Despite Amaya’s stock trading just under $7 (all prices are in U. S. dollars), he wanted Blackstone and other investors to buy shares at nearly $18 apiece and securities convertible into Amaya stock at about $21.
Read more: The King Of Online Gambling (Is 34) - Forbes
Kim Kardashian was the most searched-for star of 2014, according to search engine Bing.
The reality TV personality and wife of Kanye West came top of the leader board for Bing Trends' "Most Searched Celebrities of 2014" in the U.S.
It has been a big year for the voluptuous star, including her elaborate wedding to West in May and a controversial magazine cover for "Paper" magazine in November that immediately went viral.
Hot on Kardashian's heels is Beyoncé, who claimed second place in the poll. Her global "Hit and Run" tour with husband Jay-Z has been a huge success.
Controversial singer Miley Cyrus took third place on the list, gaining publicity for her twerking and tongue-poking antics during her 2014 "Bangerz" tour.
Meanwhile in the UK the most searched-for celebrity was the late socialite Peaches Geldof, while in Canada actor Robin Williams topped the chart. Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr took the crown in her home country.
Here are the top 10 most searched-for celebrities of 2014 in the US according to Bing Trends:
1. Kim Kardashian
2. Beyoncé
3. Miley Cyrus
4. Katy Perry
5. Justin Bieber
6. Joan Rivers
7. Jennifer Lopez
8. Kendall Jenner
9. Kaley Cuoco
10. Robin Williams
Read more: Kim Kardashian named most searched-for celebrity of 2014 by Bing | Entertainment & Showbiz from CTV News
The media headlines over this past weekend tell us that the great retail tradition of Black Friday continues, but only as a shell of its former self. With the rise of online shopping, Black Friday has lost much of its allure. Could the rise of a different online activity — internet gambling — cause the downfall of yet another, albeit corrupt, American tradition: crony capitalism?
With escalating opposition from conservatives, one of the most blatant attempts at cronyism introduced this Congress was denied a hearing in the lame-duck session. The denial was unexpected and abrupt. Just a couple of weeks ago most Washington insiders believed that a hearing of the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) was a sure bet and a vote in the House was likely.
Immediately after the November elections, a buzz began to swirl on Capitol Hill that the House Judiciary Committee would consider Sheldon Adelson’s internet gambling ban (otherwise known as RAWA). With a flurry of activity by Adelson’s Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling (CSIG), all expectations pointed to an early December committee hearing. Capitol Hill aides were confirming that the GOP majority would give RAWA a hearing, and CSIG was lobbying for a vote by the full House before the lame-duck’s adjournment.
CSIG obviously believed that the December hearing was imminent as it booked former Democratic Senator turned influence-peddler Blanche Lincoln on Mike Huckabee’s Fox News program. Ms. Lincoln is a lobbyist (and a CSIG spokesperson) retained by Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands corporation. The audacity here is astonishing, even by Washington standards. The man who has made billions on casino gambling wanted to rally anti-gambling social conservatives to support his crony legislation. However, Ms. Lincoln’s best attempt to play Jonathan “the people are stupid” Gruber fell flat. Even with soft-ball questions lobbed from a friendly host, Lincoln’s appearance was full of gaffes and misstatements.
Three states — Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware — have legalized online gaming and a dozen more states are looking to do the same. Seeing the trend, Sheldon Adelson tried — unsuccessfully — to build an online gambling business. Adelson failed to capitalize on the market, and now he wants the government to criminalize his potential competition. RAWA was drafted by a Sands’ attorney, and Mr. Adelson has been engaged in an all-out campaign promising to spend “whatever it takes” to get the bill passed. Adelson seemed poised for a major legislative victory.
Perhaps what Adelson didn’t expect — given his super-donor status in the GOP — is a coalition of conservative organizations staying the course in strong opposition to his crony power play. This group — led by Americans for Tax Reform — sent a November letter to Congressional leadership making clear that RAWA is an assault on federalism and states’ rights.
The GOP has railed against President Obama’s corporate bailouts and green energy kickbacks. But Republicans have supported their share of crony proposals, including the Adelson bill. Even after sweeping Republican victories this November and as Republicans prepare to take complete control of Congress, a clear majority of Americans — 74 percent — says the midterm results were a repudiation of Democrats, not a Republican mandate. The CNN poll released Monday shows that the American people are uneasy with the incoming Republican majority. However, if the GOP’s rejection of RAWA is an indication of how Republicans will govern in the new majority, public skepticism will turn to support.
With RAWA being denied a hearing, cronyism fatigue might be finally setting in. If so, Republicans can get to fixing what is broken with our economy, and get the government out of the business of picking corporate winners and losers. Sheldon Adelson has invested a great portion of his wealth seeking Republican victories. However, it might be in defeat where Adelson sees the greatest return on his investment. By shunning crony capitalism and promoting free enterprise the GOP could build a lasting, conservative governing majority. If so, conservatives will owe Sheldon Adelson a debt of gratitude.
GOP Declines To Ban Online Gaming For Sheldon Adelson — Is The Allure Of Cronyism Fading? | The Daily Caller
Fifteen cities and townships in the Miami Valley would be eligible to create outdoor drinking areas where partiers could carry open alcoholic beverages, if an Ohio Senate bill becomes state law.
State senators voted 31-0 on Tuesday on a bill that would allow cities or townships of 35,000 or more people to create “outdoor refreshment areas” where adults could buy beer, wine and other drinks from establishments with liquor licenses and then wander outdoors while enjoying their beverages within the designated district.
This could impact areas such as the Oregon District in Dayton, Austin Landing and Voice of America Centre.
The local cities that could be impacted by the bill are Dayton, Hamilton, Springfield, Kettering, Middletown, Beavercreek, Fairfield and Huber Heights. Townships impacted would be West Chester, Washington, Beavercreek, Miami, Bath, Liberty and Deerfield.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said she supports the legislation and believes it will benefit the state’s urban areas.
She said the legislation creates an opportunity for Dayton to establish an open-container area. However, she said she has no idea whether that will happen and where that area might be located.
“I wasn’t thinking about any specific area, but it will provide more flexibility so we can have events in the downtown area that are public spaces,” she said. “I am not going to declare that because the bill passed we’ll have a space, but it’s an opportunity.”
Whaley said the current rules on outdoor drinking areas are extremely strict about fencing.
Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland hadn’t heard about the bill until after it passed on Tuesday afternoon, but said he’d be willing to look into creating an entertainment district, especially if it could lead to business development.
Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller said that he likes the idea.
“If it could be something you could run on maybe weekends or special evenings during the week, I’d probably feel more comfortable about it than it being pretty much all day every day,” he said “I’d like to work on the specifics a little bit to see what would truly fit Hamilton.”
State Sen. Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati, sponsored the bill and says it would attract more people to entertainment districts such as Cleveland’s Flats and Cincinnati’s The Banks, and would boost local economies.
“Ohio will be able to create new and exciting means of economic development, much like those found in Memphis or Louisville or New Orleans,” Kearney said.
It is unclear which large cities and townships in Ohio might want to create such drinking districts and what sort of local opposition they might face. When the bill was introduced last year, Oregon District residents and Dayton police officials expressed concern over the idea.
The districts could only be created in areas with at least four liquor permit holders. The city or township that creates an entertainment district would be required to review it every five years and would be authorized to pull the plug on it too.
The bill also calls for allowing more districts in larger cities: up to three for cities or townships with 275,001 or more people; up to two for areas with 150,001 to 275,000 residents; and no more than one in smaller areas.
West Chester Twp. Trustee President George Lang said he was slightly disappointed that West Chester, Ohio’s largest township with more than 60,000 residents, would not get to have more than one entertainment district allowing open alcohol containers.
“There’s more than one area where this may make sense for West Chester, but I’m all for anything that can help increase capitalism, if you will, increase business and increase profits for the companies of West Chester,” Lang said. “I see this as a home run, not just for West Chester, but a whole lot of other communities, as well.”
Among the sites Lang mentions are Voice of America Centre and Streets of West Chester shopping centers just off Interstate 75.
The bill also tosses in $500,000 in state money for TourismOhio to support the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Start Game in Cincinnati.
Ohio Senate President Keith Faber, R-Celina, said he would like to eventually return control over Open Container laws to local governments.
Reporters Cornelius Frolik, Eric Schwartzberg and Michael Cooper contributed to this story.
Mexico has moved closer to allowing a regulated online gambling market, as its political parties have agreed on the legal framework for regulating online gambling services to its citizens.
Mexico’s two leading political parties, Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) and Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) have agreed on the general context and framework of the proposed Mexican online gambling bill.
Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies voted 297-32 in favour of applying new regulations last Friday. The bill will now be sent to the Mexican senate for approval.
News reports have speculated that if approved the Mexican igaming market will likely become a single nation entity. Whilst the market will have set legal and regulatory requirements for businesses wanting to operate, it is further likely that Mexican regulators will service their market with the provisions of a few approved igaming operators.
Past attempts by Mexico to regulate online gambling have been thwarted by political disputes between its two leading parties. Mexican online gambling has further been met with suspicion, due to its potential to be linked with money laundering activities for drug cartels.
The passing of the Mexican online gambling bill will likely see a high emphasis placed on online transactions by regulators. New reports further suggest that the minimum age for online gambling will be set to 21.
American Airlines Group Inc. will spend $2 billion on new aircraft seats, in-flight entertainment and onboard power outlets as it chases its rivals led by Delta Air Lines Inc. in updating amenities for passengers.
The plan announced today marks a shift by the carrier to add a focus on changes that passengers will notice most. It’s also completing the basic work of meshing flight and airport operations with merger partner US Airways that has been under way during the first year of their combination.
The airline has produced record profits since the merger closed on Dec. 9, 2013, paid its first dividend since 1980 and announced a $1 billion share buyback plan. Those moves have assuaged bankruptcy creditors who ended up with stakes in the new American when it left court protection through the merger. The company’s improved financial condition will help pay for the aircraft changes. The airline’s shares have more than doubled in the past 12 months.
“In 2014, the team accomplished great things, and that gives us a lot of confidence,” Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker said in an interview. “What we are now in the position to do is to go take the product up to a level that is better than either airline had in place.”
By the end of this year, American will have received about 100 new aircraft while retiring older planes, swaps the carrier said will give it the youngest fleet among U.S.-based network airlines at 12.3 years. It will add 112 new planes next year, 84 in 2016 and about 300 more through 2022.
Customer ‘Enhancement’
“The act of replacing those aircraft with a brand new airplane is an enormous customer enhancement,” Parker said. “They are nicer, they’re brighter and they’re more comfortable. It’s a much better flying experience.’’
All but a “handful” of American’s new aircraft will have seat-back video screens throughout. All of the planes in the carrier’s primary jet fleet now have Wi-Fi, with plans to expand to it to regional aircraft, said Joshua Freed, a spokesman.
Most of the changes announced by the Fort Worth, Texas- based carrier today involve larger aircraft used in international markets. Refurbishments already have begun on American’s Boeing Co. 777-200s and 767-300s, including in-seat entertainment or in-flight connectivity and lie-flat business class seats, with work to be finished in 2016.
Lie-flat business seats also will be added to its Boeing 757s used on international routes, while power ports and Wi-Fi will be extended throughout the plane. All of American’s wide- body planes today have power in business and coach cabins, and about 89, or 58 percent, have seat-back screens in at least one cabin, the airline said.
Delta’s Offerings
Delta has had seat-back entertainment systems on all cabins of its international fleet since 2013, said Paul Skrbec, a spokesman for the Atlanta-based airline. The carrier has standard power outlets at each seat in its BusinessElite cabin and in the first 10 rows of economy on all of its international widebodies.
United Continental Holdings Inc. also has been upgrading its onboard power and entertainment options, with seat-back screens on most of its international aircraft, said Rahsaan Johnson, a spokesman. About 225 United planes have DirecTV, 190 have streaming for personal electronic devices and 185 have seat-back monitors in all cabins, he said.
Eighty-eight percent of United’s international fleet have seat-back monitors in all cabins and 80 percent have in-seat power in all cabins. The airline is installing equipment to support personal electronic devices in the aircraft that don’t have it now, Johnson said.
Current Equipment
At American, about 501, or 61 percent, of narrow-body aircraft used primarily on domestic routes today have power ports and about 74, or 9 percent, have seat-back screens in at least one cabin.
Among the renovations announced today, Airbus NV A319s, a mainstay of the US Airways domestic fleet, will get all-new seats and power outlets by the end of 2016. The airline also will add 24 economy seats that give more legroom for an extra charge.
Delta couldn’t provide a percentage breakdown for its narrow-body fleet for power and seat-back screens. All of its domestic aircraft with two-class cabins, including regional jets, have Wi-Fi, Skrbec said.
United has seat-back entertainment on 46 percent of its domestic fleet, or 237 planes, and plans to provide seat-back screens or personal device streaming in all domestic aircraft by the end of 2015. The airline also has in-seat power in at least one cabin on about 46 percent of the domestic fleet.
Easier Check-In
American announced other improvements as part of its $2 billion program, including new kiosks designed to reduce wait times at airport check-in counters worldwide by mid-2015 and 400 kiosks in gate areas for reprinting boarding passes and securing day-of-travel upgrades.
The airline will install 500 worktables with 12 power outlets each near gates at its major airports, refurbish its airport Admirals Club lounges and expand food offerings.
American will seek a single operating certificate from federal regulators and fully merge its loyalty programs in the first half of 2015, and plans to move to one passenger reservation system sometime in the second half. It also must reach combined labor contracts for the two airlines before the final integration.
American Air to Spend $2 Billion on Upgraded Seats, Entertainment – Skift
Sony Corp said its PlayStation Network and Sony Entertainment Network had been temporarily disrupted by hackers in a distributed denial-of-service attack on Monday.
Last month, Sony Pictures Entertainment was hit by a massive hack that shut down most of the studio’s network for more than a week.
The group apparently behind the massive breach, Guardians of Peace, posted the following message to various peer-to-peer Web sites on Monday: “Stop immediately showing the movie of terrorism which can break the regional peace and cause the War!” in an apparent reference to “The Interview.”
Hackers hit Playstation, Sony Entertainment Network | New York Post
The much-awaited cromnibus has been released and carries nary a mention of online gambling in its 1603 pages.
That’s despite the reportedly substantial effort by Sheldon Adelson to see the Restoration of America’s Wire Act – which would outlaw nearly all forms of regulated online gambling – attached to the behemoth spending bill.
RAWA unlikely to be attached to another bill
As reported by Steve Tetreault and Howard Stutz at the LVRJ, the cromnibus was the last likely vehicle for RAWA during the lame duck session:
Reid said Tuesday this year’s debate over online gaming essentially would be over if the spending bill was silent. It would be the third consecutive Congress that tried to form a federal strategy on legalized Web gambling only to fall far short of agreement or consensus.
“If we can’t get it into the omnibus, it won’t be in anything,” Reid said in a brief interview of the online prohibitions.
While nothing’s a dead certainty until the lights are off and the doors are locked for the year, the consistent refrain to me from sources close to the process was that the spending bill was the only viable lame duck path to law for RAWA.
Language targeting illegal sites was part of the mix
Multiple sources confirmed to me that, in addition to RAWA, statutory language providing federal officials with additional tools to target offshore operators was part of the cromnibus mix.
As the PPA’s John Pappas noted on Twitter, said language also failed to appear in the cromnibus.
I’ve yet to be able to track down the specific language that was suggested and I’m not clear on what role it played in the negotiations.
Adelson, supporters, will regroup and evolve their approach
While RAWA ran out of ramp in the lame duck, it’s unlikely to be the bill’s last gasp.
Adelson’s opposition to regulated online gambling has been public and full-throated, and there’s every reason to believe that he’ll dedicate significant resources to keeping the issue alive on the federal level in the next session of Congress.
But, given the setback in the lame duck and the steeply uphill federal path RAWA faces, I’d expect Adelson and his allies to retrain their efforts on the state level, especially in California and Pennsylvania.
The two are generally found on shortlists of states most likely to regulate online gambling in 2015.
Given the fractious nature of California’s gambling industry, Adelson wouldn’t have to have much success to stall the process of regulation, if not derail it outright.
And Adelson wields a more direct and powerful influence in Pennsylvania thanks to the Sands Bethlehem, by many measures the largest and most successful casino in the state.
Adelson-Backed Online Gambling Ban Not Part of Cromnibus
Sen. Harry Reid said Friday that Congress next year will take up legislation to outlaw Internet gambling, and he plans to support a ban while trying to gain an exemption for online poker.
“I think there will be efforts made to look at the Wire Act in a Republican-initiated Congress, yes I do,” Reid said. “I think there will be efforts made to get rid of the Wire Act.”
With billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson, an ardent opponent of Internet wagering, pressing for action, House and Senate leaders were lobbied to place a prohibition on online gambling into a year-end spending bill. The effort failed in the closing days of the lame-duck session.
The legislation would have nullified a 2011 Justice Department opinion that the relevant law, the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, only outlaws sports betting online. The opinion sparked a burgeoning industry as three states — Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey — have legalized forms of online gambling while other states are considering doing the same.
Reid said he and Adelson agree that online gambling should be prohibited.
“I think the proliferation of gambling on the Internet is not good for our country,” the Democrat who once served as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission said in an interview. “I think it is an invitation to crime. I think it is hard to control for crime when you’ve got brick-and-mortar places, let alone something up in the sky someplace, and it is very bad for children.”
“If there is a chance to (legalize) poker, I will do that, but I am not for the Wire Act,” Reid said. Nevada has legalized poker online, with Caesars Entertainment and Michael Gaughan’s South Point operating poker sites. A third entry, Station Casinos, recently closed its site.
EXEMPTION FOR POKER
Reid’s role in the lame-duck negotiations was fuzzy. He said Friday he was prepared to try to carve out an exemption for poker in the Senate if the House had passed an online gaming ban. It was not clear how that would have happened in the fast-moving closing days.
If a Web gambling ban advanced, “then maybe there would have been an opening somehow for poker … but until that happened I had no chance to do anything,” he said.
Reid said the only way legalized poker can pass Congress is if it is coupled with legislation that prohibits other forms of online gaming.
“Just to get poker alone is not going to work,” Reid said. “We tried that.”
Reid denied one rumor that became widespread in recent months. He said he and Adelson did not have a gentlemen’s agreement that Adelson, a deep-pocketed Republican conservative, would help Reid get re-elected in 2016 if Reid helped pass an online gambling ban.
“No,” Reid said. “Sheldon Adelson and I have been friends for a long time but on politics he and I don’t agree, so we don’t do politics. I’m glad he joined my position (on Internet gambling), but no, there was nothing” on a deal between them.
Reid was interviewed in his Capitol office as the Senate debated its final bills before adjourning, and as he was completing his term as Senate majority leader. With Republicans gaining Senate control in the November elections, Reid will return in January as minority leader.
MIGHT RUN FOR MAJORITY LEADER AGAIN
On other topics:
■ Reid said if he wins re-election in 2016 and if Democrats regain control of the Senate, he expects to run for majority leader again. He said he plans to start interviewing potential campaign advisers in February as he ramps up a 2016 re-election bid. Asked why he wants to serve six more years in the Senate, he said he has to work. “Work is good for people,” he said.
■ Reid will be 76 years old on Election Day 2016 and would be 77 when he would start a new term. As to whether his age might be a factor in the election, he said, “As Ronald Reagan said, I’ll see how much experience my opponents have.”
■ Reid said he never received an explanation after his alma mater, Southern Utah University, removed his name from a campus building in August after a group of Cedar City residents petitioned for the change. “It’s just the right-wing wackos in Utah, no big surprise there,” he said chuckling. “I think they lost more than I did.”
Reid expects more bids to ban online gaming | Las Vegas Review-Journal
By now, saying that Scott Disick and Khloé Kardashian have done something inappropriate with one another is a bit like dropping the bombshell that Kim Kardashian has taken a selfie. But now Scott has taken his close relationship with girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian’s sister to a whole new water-based level.
On Sunday night’s Kourtney & Khloé Take The Hamptons, the Lord has a candlelit bath with Khloé as they record their first podcast together – because where else would you do it, right? Throwing caution to the wind (electricity and water: not a great combo, kids), Scott gets the mics ready as Khloé hops in the tub wearing an amazing Baywatch-esque, Beyoncé -inspired 'Surfboard' swimming cossie.
Coquettishly biting her nails, Khloé then tells Scott to whip off his shirt (anyone else feeling a bit uncomfortable?!) and join her in the bubbles where they tackle the important issues of the day like his, erm, tackle. NOT OKAY, PEOPLE, NOT OKAY. :p
The European Parliament has expanded the scope of its fourth anti-money laundering directive (AMLD) to include online gambling, which means that the directive now covers the entire gambling sector for the first time.
Representatives of the European Parliament and negotiators from Member States this week agreed on the new directive, which states that the ultimate owners and beneficiaries of companies would have to be listed in central registers in EU countries, and be accessible to people with a legitimate interest (such as investigative journalists and other concerned citizens).
Institutions such as banks, auditors and casinos would also be required to be more vigilant about suspicious transactions made by their clients.
Anyone who wanted a tour of Sony Pictures Entertainment at its Culver City studio will have to wait until 2015, the Hollywood Reporter wrote Thursday. The company has shut down its walking tours amid violent threats from hackers, who have said there would be serious repercussions at movies theaters if people went to see “The Interview,” a political comedy in which two journalists are instructed to assassinate North Korea's Kim Jong-un.
The two-hour excursions, where people are permitted to walk inside and around the buildings in Culver City, will resume on Jan. 2, THR said. The tours have already been canceled for a week, the news site said. For those interested in seeing Sony Pictures Entertainment in the New Year, reservations can be made on Sony’s website.
Tours are from Monday through Friday at four different times. Visitors are asked to arrive 20 minutes before their scheduled time.
North Korea denied involvement in the Sony hack, but called it a “righteous act.” The U.S. now believes North Korea is to blame, but President Barack Obama did not discourage Americans from going to movie theaters.
“We'll be vigilant, if we see something that we think is serious and credible, then we'll alert the public. But for now, my recommendation would be that people go to the movies,” the president told ABC News via CNN. “Well, the cyberattack is very serious. We're investigating, we're taking it seriously.”
Some of the celebrities allegedly talked about in the hacks were Angelina Jolie, who was called a “spoiled brat,” and Amy Adams, who was allegedly “abused” by “American Hustle” director David O. Russell on the set of the film.
Share the spirit of peace and joy on this occasion of Merry Christmas with your acquaintances and loved ones.
How to say Merry christmas or Happy christmas in different languages
Afrikaans: Geseënde Kersfees
Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees
African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats
Albanian:Gezur Krislinjden
Arabic: Milad Majid
Argentine: Feliz Navidad
Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal
Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha
Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce
Bosnian: (BOSANSKI) Cestit Bozic i Sretna Nova godina
Brazilian: Feliz Natal
Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!
Chile: Feliz Navidad
Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Chinese: (Mandarin) Sheng Dan Kuai Le
Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Corsian: Pace e salute
Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo
Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian: Sretan Bozic
Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish: Glædelig Jul
Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak
Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast
English: Merry Christmas
Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon
Estonian: Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi
Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal
Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!
Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish: Hyvaa joulua
Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
French: Joyeux Noel
Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!
Galician: Bo Nada
Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!
German: Fröhliche Weihnachten
Greek: Kala Christouyenna!
Haiti: (Creole) Jwaye Nowel or to Jesus Edo Bri'cho o Rish D'Shato Brichto
Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi: Shub Naya Baras (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Hungarian: Boldog Karácsonyt
Icelandic: Gledileg Jol
Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.
Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags
Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Kurdish: Serî sallî nwê pîroz
Lao: souksan van Christmas
Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto
Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus
Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu
Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar
Luxembourgish: Schèine Chreschtdaag an e gudde Rutsch
Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik
Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb
Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
Maori: Meri Kirihimete
Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Navajo: Merry Keshmish
Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul
Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado
Papiamento: Bon Pasco
Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu
Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo
Philippines: Maligayang Pasko!
Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie
Portuguese:Feliz Natal
Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha
Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn
Romanche: (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!
Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele or Craciun fericit
Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Sami: Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou
Scots Gaelic: Nollaig Chridheil dhuibh
Serbian: Hristos se rodi.
Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene: Vesele Bozicne Praznike Srecno Novo Leto or Vesel Bozic in srecno Novo leto
Spanish: Feliz Navidad
Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Switzerland (Swiss-German): Schöni Wienachte
Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
Tamil: (Tamizh) Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!
Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas
Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian: Z Rizdvom Khrystovym or S rozhdestvom Kristovym
Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh: Nadolig Llawen
Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!
It is time to start to plan for 2015 which for the little older demographic seems so futuristic in just the way it sounds. The best part of celebrating Old Years Night is the ringing in of the New Year and making sure you don’t make your New Year’s resolution that you failed at, the same one this year.
Online gambling turns the ripe old age of 21 this year since its inception in Antigua in 1994 so maybe it would be a good thing to reflect on its impact on society and the state of the economy for some nations. The Free Trade and Processing Zone Act passed by the government of Antigua was a brilliant change allowing the tiny and exclusive paradise island to not totally depend on tourism. Then the Isle of Man based software company Microgaming developed the first software for online gambling. This was secured with software developed by CryptoLogic, an online security software company. Safe transactions became viable first time. Multiplayer online gambling was introduced in 1999 the first time people could gamble, chat and interact with each other in an interactive environment.
The introduction of online poker had massive appeal for many players around the world but it has gone through incredible changes both from a technical standpoint and a political one. Arguments still surround online poker as being more than a game of chance but a skilled game requiring more than luck.
The other biggest growth that exploded in some parts of the world is online sports betting. Millions of people follow sporting events around the world and there are many events and many sports. The availability of the internet to watch bet and keep track of stats has put an entirely new face on the sports book. There are instant information gathering sites and live action betting on mobile smart devices which can be accessed for anywhere. Now it does sound like 2015 in the online gambling industry.
Online Gambling 21 Years of Change | Online-Casinos-com
When the UIGEA law was passed in 2006, the U.S. Congress believed it had found a way to scare payment processing companies away from the online gambling industry. That was the case for the first few years of the UIGEA’s existence, but the law has never acted as the deterrent most lawmakers thought it would.
American Credit Card Companies Gaining Confidence
These days, only PayPal’s owner, Ebay, seems to take the UIGEA law seriously. Most of the top domestic credit card companies, including VISA, MasterCard, Diners Club, and American Express, allow for payments to online gaming websites. Amex is still somewhat more reticent than the other companies, but all allow payments of some sort. Some allow withdrawals from the online gambling sites.
Why Credit Card Companies Have Gotten Bolder
Forbes published a Marc Edelman article recently which told why those companies are so bold these days. If a gaming website obtains an opinion letter from a lawyer stating the game’s legality, most of the credit card services will allow payments to and from those websites. Such an opinion letter provides a legal justification for allowing such transactions, while putting the onus on the business making the claims–and its lawyer.
The United States now has 1.2 million lawyers in it. According to Edelman, the number of legal experts is so great that gaming companies can cherry-pick their legal opinions. So many exist that you can always find one to render a summary judgment on your legal situation, says Forbes. Under those conditions, virtually any gaming company can get the legal justification to get around the UIGEA.
VISA and MasterCard More Accepting All the Time
The article suggested that more reputable companies like TradeSports and HotRoster had no trouble finding legal advisors who would write opinion letters. What is more remarkable is the fact that VISA and MasterCard have been accepting of letters from more marginal online gaming sites.
The longer such decisions go unchallenged by the U.S. Justice Department, the more likely the big credit card companies are going to loosen their own standards for gaming transactions. In the end, it’s all about processing fees and interest payments, so VISA and MasterCard are happy to handle the transactions, if they’re legal.
Justice Department Has a Choice
Under those circumstances, the Justice Department is faced with one of two stark choices. One, they can start to investigate transactions between the credit card companies and the online casinos and poker rooms, which would no doubt have a dampening effect on the process. Two, they could push to have the federal gaming laws repealed, thereby acknowledging they don’t have the will or resources to challenge millions of credit card payments to those sites. That would be an admission that gaming sites and credit card companies have effectively changed American laws, but that would only be a tacit admission of something that seems to have happened already.
US Credit Card Companies at Crossroads
As 2015 opens, American credit card companies stand at a crossroads when it comes to online gambling. Nothing is cut-and-dried just yet. Even in the licensed and legal online gambling market of New Jersey, MasterCard only approved about 75% of online casino deposits in 2014. With VISA, that number dropped to less than 45% of deposits. It’s clear that both credit networks want to work with the gaming industries, but local outlets still aren’t entirely certain whether they can trust the system.
At the same time, several states are considered legalizing online casinos and card rooms themselves: California, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. New Jersey already lobbies the credit card companies to be more accepting of their gaming laws and more supportive of their Internet gambling industry. If more big states enter the gaming niche, those credit card companies are going to hear more and more arguments all the time. When it becomes a widespread and accepted form of gaming, then VISA and MasterCard should feel quite secure with federal laws.
Projections for Online Gambling
J.P. Morgan believes the country is on the brink of such a time. The finacial institution predicted that 7 U.S. states would have licensed online gambling by 2017, and California, Pennsylvania, and New York would be among those seven states. By 2020, the company predicted that the United States would have 20 states which have legalized, licensed, regulated, and taxed such activities. If so, then the credit card companies will be emboldened by that state of affairs, and push ahead with unfettered online gambling transactions.
U.S. Credit Card Companies More Likely to Allow Online Gambling Payments
In addition, THR Esq., from senior editor Eriq Gardner, was named best entertainment blog.
Also among THR's 14 wins were two for senior writer Gary Baum, whose feature "No Animals Were Harmed" was named best news story in the print (newspaper or magazines) category and best investigative category (any media platform).
In the best obituary category (any media platform), senior editor Mike Barnes, THR-com deputy news director Erik Hayden, THR-com staff editor Hilary Lewis and Debbie Emery won for "Philip Seymour Hoffman Dead at 46."
Freelance writer Scott Johnson won best feature (celebrity) over 1,000 words for "The Final Days of an Oscar Winner," about Searching for Sugar Man director Malik Bendjelloul. The latter story also earned Janice Min, co-president and chief creative officer of Guggenheim Media's Entertainment Group, an award for best headline: "Oscar to Suicide in One Year."
Senior editor Alex Ben Block won for best feature under 1,000 words category for "A Filmmaker's Prison Nightmare Over Tax Credits."
Meanwhile, chief TV critic Tim Goodman was cited as best print columnist.
Senior TV writer Lesley Goldberg won the award for best news, online (general) for "Sandra Oh to Exit 'Grey's Anatomy' (Exclusive)."
In the photography categories, THR scored a win for "Ricky Gervais" for photographer Austin Hargrave, creative director Shanti Marlar and photo and video director Jennifer Laski.
THR also won best documentary or special program (feature): video producer Stephanie Fischette, executive editor, features Stephen Galloway, executive editor Matthew Belloni, director Raphael Laski and Jennifer Laski for "Oscar Actress Roundtable 2013."
For best multimedia package, THR scored another win "The Descendants of Solomon Northup" for senior reporter Rebecca Sun, photographer Wesley Mann, Laski, Marlar and photo editor Michelle Stark.
Also at the event, Nancy O'Dell received the L.A. Press Cub's Luminary Award, while Quincy Jones was presented with the Visionary Award.
Hollywood Reporter Wins Best Publication, Website at National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards